Way too many Americans working within the retail sector are forced to go without healthcare benefits from their workplace. On June 21st, to combat this troubling dynamic, Nationwide Marketing Group announced its partnership with insurance brokerage firm Lockton Affinity to create an affordable health insurance program for independent retailers.
This affordable health insurance program is not meant to replace any pre-existing health insurance benefits currently being offered by many Nationwide members; instead, the program is designed to target members who do not currently offer insurance to their employees. By utilizing the buying power of Nationwide, Lockton Affinity is able to provide a variety of insurance plans with different types of savings on premiums.
Plans will vary from basic coverage to more extensive plans.. Though premium pricing will vary depending on the level of plan, highlights of the plans include eligibility in all 50 states, no waiting periods, no deductibles, competitive rates, no restrictions on age or pre-existing conditions, individual and family plans, and telehealth services. Also included is the option for ancillary benefits like dental, vision, accident, lump sum critical illness with cancer coverage, and ID theft protection. Also flexible is the program’s rolling enrollment feature: Employees just need to enroll by the 20th of a month for coverage to start on the first day of the next month.
The goal of the affordable health care program according to Chris Kirk, vice president of business and financial services for Nationwide Marketing Group, is to provide “affordable medical coverage to retailers from coast to coast, without creating any administrative work for our members. Instead, employees can work with our trained benefits advisors to pick their own plans, and the professionals at Lockton handle all the logistics.”
The program is offered solely to employees of independent retailers aligned with Nationwide Marketing Group. Any Nationwide members interested in these plans can get more information by emailing info@nationwidegroup.org. Nationwide Marketing Group works with more than 5,000 independent appliance, furniture, bedding, electronics, specialty electronics, custom installation and rent-to-own dealers across the United States to give independent retailers the market power to compete with large chains.
